King (Queen) Of The Hill

by Pam Shirk, North Carolina, USA

As Rob posted for me, I'm laid up with pneumonia. This time they caught it early enough that I'm able to recuperate at home instead of taking up a hospital bed. I prefer it as I get to have company whenever their royal cattinesses are willing.

Now all cats are fascinated by new toys and mine are no exception. The only problem I have with this is that the new toy is....me. They have discovered that I'm larger with edema and other swelling from the pneumonia and this makes me look like a beached whale covered with burgandy blankets.

Yesterday, Tanada started the game by climbing to the top of my hip as I lay on my left side. She sat straight and tall and looked disdainfully down at QC who looked longingly up at my feet. QC left the room.

A few minutes later QC was back with re-inforcements. Berfert saw Tanada still sitting on my hip and went into action. He lept onto the bed and took position, on my foot. Merlin, not to be out-done, jumped on the bed beside my knee. QC snuck around to the back of the bed while Tanada was occupied with hissing at Merlin, who she perceived as the more imediate and imposing threat. Merlin grinned at her.

Berfert advanced to my knee. Tanada saw him coming, hissed and swiped her paw at him. Berfert ducked and droped to a crouching position. He started sneaking up on her, step by slow step. Merlin did his best to keep her attention on him. QC slowly snuck up to my rear. Tanada hadn't noticed her yet. She was alternating between hissing at Merlin and swiping at Berfert. Both of the boys seemed to be laughing at her.

Suddenly, QC let out a meow and all three of them attacked Tanada, who was trying to slap in three directions at once. I swear she seemed to have doubled the number of her paws. Severely outnumbered, Tanada retreated...to my shoulder.

At this point I decided that I was no longer willing to play. The next possible retreat was my head and Tanada was willing to go there. I reached up with my book and swept her off with it. She hissed at me. The other three cats glared at me for a second or three, then scrabbled to be at the top of the hill. QC won. The boys took position in the same places they were in before, Tanada decided that QC was the best tactition of the group and took the spot she'd started out in.

I can see that this recuperation thing has its definite ups and downs.

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